Does EMF Radiation Affect Male Fertility and Reproductive Health?
At WaveBlock®, we are all about educating the public on how consistent exposure to electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation can negatively affect men, women, and children. Did you know that cell phones, iPads, laptops, wireless earbuds, and many more Bluetooth/WiFi devices emit radiation in order to work? While the level of radiation may not be as high as that of an x-ray machine, the consistent exposure to our phones and laptops has become a growing concern. Think about how often you get an x-ray versus how often you have your cell phone near you. The global increase of cell phone usage in the last decade has led to a massive increase in EMF pollution.
Our WaveBlock® EMF Wellness Blog has several resources that show the negative effects EMF radiation can have on women and children. In this article, we will focus on something that particularly revolves around men — male fertility.
According to MedSpace, infertility is now an issue for one in every six couples worldwide. Moreover, in more than half of those cases, the man’s low sperm quality is the culprit. In the last few years, male sperm count has decreased by more than 50% globally, leaving researchers concerned.
Many people have tried to pinpoint why this could be happening, citing things such as environmental changes, lifestyle, obesity, smoking, alcohol, stress, and more. Another concern is cell phones, due to their emission of electromagnetic waves that are absorbed by the body due to close proximity.
At WaveBlock®, we recognize that many of us need our phones on a daily basis and most of us use them incredibly often. Plus, with the invention of wireless earbuds, most men have their phones in their pockets (near their testicles) for a large portion of the day. That means the EMF radiation coming off your cell phone is very close to the testicles, which can increase oxidative stress and cause free radical formation. When cell phones are emitting max power, they can heat up to 33 degrees Fahrenheit. That heat has a very negative affect on all of our tissues and organs.
What does the research show though? There are a handful of studies that suggest a direct correlation between EMF radiation exposure and a decrease in male sperm viability. Of course, this all depends on the duration of exposure, the distance (how far the phone or laptop is from testicles), the amount of power emitted by the device, and how far the penetration is.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine published a study with this conclusion:
“At 6 hours after exposure, we identified a decrease in sperm motility and viability in samples exposed to RF-EMR as compared to those samples that were not from fertile controls. With the addition of the case, we noted a smaller impact on total sperm motility and viability (p = 0.01, p = 0.01) as compared to direct RF-EMR exposure. In fact, moving the cell phone away by 3 inches represented the best mitigation strategy to deleterious effects on sperm motility and viability. Interestingly, when the phones were turned on in the talk-mode, most detrimental effects on sperm motility were identified.”
Another study published by BioMed Central also has the WaveBlock® team concerned. BMC feels that currently available studies show a clear connection between EMF radiation and deleterious effects on things like sperm count, sperm morphology, sperm motility, kinases in cellular metabolism, genotoxicity, genomic instability, and oxidative stress.
The conclusion of the BMC study was as follows:
“The study concludes that the RF-EMF may induce oxidative stress with an increased level of reactive oxygen species, which may lead to infertility. This has been concluded based on available evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies suggesting that RF-EMF exposure negatively affects sperm quality.”
CNN has also cited a recent study performed in Switzerland. The Swiss study gathered men between the ages of 18 and 22. Participants who said they used their phone more than 20 times a day had a 21% higher risk for lowered sperm count as well as 30% higher risk for low sperm concentration. Medical News Today has all of the specific details about how the study was conducted and the conclusions.
The WaveBlock® team isn’t telling you these things to scare you. Our goal at WaveBlock® is to increase awareness around EMF exposure. If you know all of this is possible, you can take your health into your own hands and try to decrease your EMF exposure as much as possible. One way to do that is through our WaveBlock® stickers. Our lab tested and patented stickers are affordable, easy to use, and provide proven EMF protection for devices like cell phones, wireless earbuds, laptops, and more. By attaching one of our stickers to your cell phone, you can feel safer when using your phone throughout the day.
What else can you do besides use WaveBlock® stickers? We have several blog articles about how to easily reduce your exposure. But here are a few of our thoughts directly related to male fertility and reproductive health:
- The intensity of EMF exposure is significantly lower when your phone is doing less. Can you text instead of call? Can you download large files while your phone is further away from you? Also remember that your phone has to work harder when you are in an area with poor service. Your phone is constantly trying to keep a signal. If it’s difficult to find one, your phone has to work harder, AKA increase radiation and heat.
- Keep your phone out of your pocket, men! The closer your phone is to your testicles, the worse off you will be. Try to keep your phone in a backpack, briefcase, or as far from you as possible. In fact the California Department of Public Health recommends keeping cell phones as far away from the body and head as possible. In the above Swiss study, 85.7% of participants kept their phones in their pants pocket when not in use
- Your laptop emits EMF radiation as well. Keep your laptop off your lap to avoid an increase in heat/radiation near your reproductive organs.
Tech companies don’t want you to know about these dangers. However, the reality is that the Federal Communications Commission’s EMF exposure standards for men, women, and children are incredibly outdated and based on much less advanced technology. It’s the reason so many scientists, and people in general, want the FCC to reconsider its policies.
The WaveBlock® team is here to help you use your tech in a safer and healthier way. We stand by all of our products and are here to support you in your EMF research. If you have any questions about our products, our research, or our lab testing, please feel free to contact the WaveBlock® team.
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